April Jones

Role at the UMBC Career Center: General Office Assistant/Receptionist

Q:Where have you earned your college degrees?

A: Albright College/Reading, PA

Q: What program(s) did you study? How did you chose your major?

A: I studied Theatre. I have been singing since I was 8 and acting since I was 14. My mom always called me a drama queen, so I knew that Theatre was the way to go.

Q: Tell me about the job and internship process when you were in college. Were you able to find job/internship positions that were related to your major or your career interests?

A: I went to a liberal arts college so we were taught to broaden our horizons and not get stuck in the bubble of our major. I was receiving As in my Spanish and History courses, so it was recommended to become an on-campus tutor. I did that during my junior and senior years and still do that as a side job.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

A: I was told to never be apologetic for my creative works. I was given this advice after I wrote and performed a play that wasn't well received on campus. I'm glad I listened because just when I was about to lock it way forever, it ended up being nationally nominated for a playwriting award. It's funny how that works.

Q: Why should students visit the Career Center?

A: Students should visit the Career Center because it really is the best way to jump start the internship/job search. There are people who work here who are incredibly knowledgeable about the job search and the current job climate. Come give us a chance!

Q: What is your favorite aspect about UMBC?

A: That there is a really high chance that you'll meet someone new every day.

Q: What is one item on your bucket list?

A: Perform on Broadway. *crosses fingers*

Want to connect with April or any of our great Career Center team? Call our office at 410-455-2216 or check out our contact us page here: http://careers.umbc.edu/aboutus/

UMBC will play an exciting role in strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure through a new Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) announced this week. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded a contract to operate the center to the MITRE Corporation, which will partner with the University System of Maryland (USM) to carry out the center’s goals. UMBC and the University of Maryland, College Park are collaborators with MITRE and Anupam Joshi, director of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity, will serve in a leadership role for UMBC.

The government sponsors fewer than 50 FFRDCs across the country, and all are designed to tackle complex, long-term problems of significant national interest. According to NIST, this is the first center that is “solely dedicated to enhancing the security of the nation’s information systems.” The contract to operate the FFRDC has a maximum amount of $5 billion over 25 years.

“Securing our cyber infrastructure requires government, industry, and higher education to work closely together, and this center makes that powerful collaboration possible,” says UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski. “Further, it solidifies Maryland’s role as the hub of cybersecurity in our nation.”

Maryland hosts a large number of federal agencies and companies on the cutting edge of cybersecurity, and the USM is nationally recognized for its research and education programs in the field. This vital combination means that the State of Maryland is uniquely positioned to successfully nurture this research and development center.

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski congratulated the USM and MITRE on this opportunity, saying, “This new center unites the knowledge of the government with the know-how of the private sector to develop cyber technology solutions needed to protect dot-com entities and make our cyber infrastructure more resilient.”

UMBC’s Anupam Joshi says, “While national security interests are usually central to the security conversation, this center will also work to meet the cybersecurity needs of individuals and businesses in a variety of sectors, such as healthcare and energy. Individuals and small and medium-size businesses constitute a major part of the nation’s cyberinfrastructure, but can lack the resources and technical expertise to respond effectively to cyber threats.”

This new FFRDC will support the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), which NIST, the state of Maryland, and Montgomery County, Md., established in 2012 to help businesses secure their data and digital infrastructure by bringing together information security experts from industry, government, and academia. It will further the NCCoE’s goal to foster public-private collaborations to identify and solve today’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges.

“This new FFRDC supporting NIST’s NCCoE will be a major addition to Maryland’s existing strengths in cybersecurity,” says Karl Steiner, Vice President for Research at UMBC. “I am delighted about this new strategic collaboration with our colleagues at College Park and at MITRE, and about the opportunities to further expand and apply our scientific capabilities in an area of such critical importance.”

To learn more about this new collaboration, see the announcement from NIST and the joint announcement from MITRE and the USM.

“Towards a Queered Understanding of Critical Social Justice“

A trans* woman of color, hearing Reina Gossett’s lived experience is enough to captivate. Add to this her years of meaningful experience in activism and community organization, in film-making and research, in writing and social justice work, and Gossett’s growing recognition begins to make sense.

Reina offers a unique perspective on the experiences of LGBTQ/GNC (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender non-conforming) people, especially those who are also people of color and those of low-income backgrounds.

Sharing this perspective, and with such varied and interdisciplinary experiences, Reina brings new light to social justice activism and challenges even the most critical of us to examine our practices and beliefs, pushing all to embody the change that so many feel our world so desperately needs.

Presented by Student Life’s Mosaic: Cultural & Diversity Center and The Women’s Center.

Check out the myUMBC event page or the Facebook event page, as well!

“Towards a Queered Understanding of Critical Social Justice“

A trans* woman of color, hearing Reina Gossett’s lived experience is enough to captivate. Add to this her years of meaningful experience in activism and community organization, in film-making and research, in writing and social justice work, and Gossett’s growing recognition begins to make sense.

Reina offers a unique perspective on the experiences of LGBTQ/GNC (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender non-conforming) people, especially those who are also people of color and those of low-income backgrounds.

Sharing this perspective, and with such varied and interdisciplinary experiences, Reina brings new light to social justice activism and challenges even the most critical of us to examine our practices and beliefs, pushing all to embody the change that so many feel our world so desperately needs.

Presented by Student Life’s Mosaic: Cultural & Diversity Center and The Women’s Center.

Check out the myUMBC event page or the Facebook event page, as well!

Kacie Glenn

Role at the UMBC Career Center: I help arts, humanities, and social science students make themselves competitive candidates for jobs and internships.

Q: Where have you earned your college degrees?

A: I hold an M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore and a B.A. from the University of Maryland-College Park.

Q: What program(s) did you study? How did you chose your major?

A: I majored in English Literature as an undergraduate. As a kid, I was constantly reading-- under my desk at school, during recess, under the covers with a flashlight. For a long time I wanted to be a writer, then an editor. English was the natural choice for me. Later on, I decided that editing wasn't as fulfilling for me as I'd expected, so I decided to get a master's degree in school counseling. Now, of course, I'm using those counseling skills as a career advisor at the college level.

Q: Tell me about the job and internship process when you were in college. Were you able to find job/internship positions that were related to your major or your career interests?

A: During college I had two positions that related to my career goals. First, I was a tutor at the campus writing center. This was actually an internship and involved a lot of training and study of pedagogical techniques. I really loved helping students flesh out and express their ideas-- something I still get to do during resume/cover letter appointments.

My second job was with a small, local book publisher. The company was so tiny that I found myself editing full manuscripts, writing jacket copy and press releases, and formatting layouts in InDesign.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

A: "It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act." -the Dalai Lama

Q: Why should students visit the Career Center?

A: One of the most important things you can gain by visiting us is confidence. We can help you name your strengths and tell your story in words that make you feel good about what you have to offer-- AND attract employers' attention.

Q: What is your favorite aspect about UMBC?

A: I like the diversity. Everyone seems to fit in at UMBC. There are no outsiders or insiders.

Q: What is one item on your bucket list?

A: I want to write and publish a book someday. Don't ask me what about!

Q: What is one aspect of the DC/Baltimore area that you often explore?

A: My favorite Smithsonian museum is the National Portrait Gallery, so I've been there several times. I also love hiking and running in all the beautiful local parks, particularly around Columbia.

Want to connect with Kacie or any of our great Career Center team? Call our office at 410-455-2216 or check out our contact us page here: http://careers.umbc.edu/aboutus/

The Class of 2015 Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program Application launchedWednesday, October 1, 2014 at 12:01 AM Eastern Time.

Please access the application via USAJobs at (https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/381692100).We recommend reviewing the PMF Assessment Preparation Guide (http://www.pmf.gov/become-a-pmf/assessment-process.aspx)before you begin the on-line assessment portion of the application.

The application closes promptly on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

If you created an application account since the Class of 2013 PMF application period, please sign in using that account information. Creating duplicate accounts will cause issues and delays during the process.

Please send an emailto pmfapplication@opm.gov with any questions or concerns.

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program seeks eligible individuals for selection as Finalists to obtain appointments as PMFs in the Federal Government. Presidential Management Fellows are assigned to work in a broad range of areas including public policy and administration, domestic and international issues, information technology, acquisition, human resources, engineering, health and medical sciences, financial management, and many other fields in support of public service programs.  This year, the PMF Program continues the STEM track pilot for those Finalists having specific advanced degrees in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM). After the application closes, Semi-Finalists will be determined and invited to participate in an in-person assessment, which will be factored into selecting Finalists. Complete information about the PMF Program, PMF STEM track, eligibility and how to apply can be found under the "Become a PMF" section on the PMF website at http://www.pmf.gov/